Trinity Industries

Conversion of freight shipments from truck to rail, combined with recent developments in innovation, can benefit more than just shippers’ bottom line—and the broader public wins, too.  The industry has done an impressive job highlighting rail transportation’s sustainability advantages. By now, we all should be able to cite “one train can carry one ton of freight nearly 500 miles on…

While rail has traditionally been perceived as an industry driven by men, the fact is women have played a role from the start. Dating back to the late 19th century, individuals like Mary Walton developed a patent to deflect air pollutant emissions that would later be adapted for steam engines. In the 1970s, Bonnie Leake became one of the first female locomotive engineers for…

Conversations at the Rail Equipment Finance Conference 2024 (REF), held March 3-6, “suggest favorable railcar leasing fundamentals should continue at least through 2024 and that new railcar orders should recover from fourth-quarter 2023’s disappointing levels,” reports Bascome Majors, Senior Equity Research Analyst-Industrials at Susquehanna International Group (SIG). Majors offers these takeaways in a SIG report, after spending time with railcar…

We had one-on-one and group meetings with several rail and rail equipment stakeholders at the Rail Equipment Finance Conference 2024 (REF), held March 3-6 in La Quinta, Calif. Putting the pieces together, we would describe the current environment as one flirting with a sort of equilibrium, with the traffic outlook predictably modest, and service inching toward fluidity; and railcar builds…

Trinity Industries’ closed out 2023 with revenue up 51% over 2022 and a backlog of $3.2 billion, President and CEO Jean Savage said during an Feb. 22 financial report. Rising leasing rates drove Railcar Leasing and Management Services Group revenue up 13% year-over-year, and despite challenges in the fourth quarter with the border closure and related congestion impacting deliveries in…

We spent two days in three Southeast cities with Trinity Industries CFO Eric Marchetto and head of Investor Relations Leigh Anne Mann. Management articulated what is arguably a railcar paradigm shift: a less erratic production cycle and more sustainable lease rate strength driven by the end of free money and a reduced manufacturing footprint. TRN reiterated its prioritization of returns…

As supply chain, labor and border challenges ease, Trinity Industries’ (TRN) year-to-date choppy execution, despite a backdrop of decidedly favorable supply dynamics, should improve leading to 14% 2024 production growth and accompanying operating leverage. This and continued lease rate strength should help narrow the valuation gap for a company that has approximately 50% of the manufacturing backlog and one of…

Trinity Industries, Inc. earnings results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2023 showed improvements in revenue, though railcar deliveries fell due mostly to factors the company could not control. Quarterly total company revenues of $821 million were a 65% improvement year over year. Quarterly income from continuing operations per common diluted share (EPS) were $0.29; quarterly adjusted EPS was…

Trinity Industries, Inc. (Trinity) on Oct. 3 announced that it delivered 4,325 new railcars in the third quarter, 685 units below the company’s third-quarter projection, due to “the closing of the U.S.-Mexico border by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP).”

The 2023 Railway Age / RT&S Women in Rail event, to be held Nov. 2 in Chicago, will feature a panel of human resources and recruitment executives discussing changes in freight and passenger rail recruitment, retention, and career development from their perspectives at Amtrak, Watco, RailWorks and Industrial Search Partners. Moderated by Railway Age and RT&S staff members, the panel will also cover…

The 2023 Railway Age / RT&S Women in Rail event, to be held Nov. 2 in Chicago, will feature a panel of corporate diversity leaders discussing the importance of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) within the industry. Co-moderated by Sarah Yurasko, President, League of Railway Women (LRW), the panel will delve into what ERGs are and how these groups provide community…

Topping the list of reasons to attend Railway Age / RT&S Women in Rail, to be held Nov. 2 in Chicago, is opening speaker Judy Carter, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at BNSF. Carter will give attendees her insights on recruitment trends, career development, support networks and BNSF's overall people management strategies. Meet Judy Carter Judy Carter joined BNSF in 2006…

The industry conversation continues with Railway Age / RT&S Women in Rail 2023—our first in-person Women in Rail conference covering the freight, passenger and transit rail sectors.  The Nov. 2 conference, presented live at the Union League Club of Chicago, will not only provide an opportunity to network with a diverse group of women and their allies, but also allow…

Trinity Industries’ second-quarter 2023 results “reflect a favorable operating environment and significant positive trends in our business,” President and CEO Jean Savage said during an Aug. 1 financial report. “We continue to see rising lease rates that reflect a balanced railcar fleet and railcar orders and deliveries to support replacement level demand, setting Trinity up for growth in the second…

While lease rates and utilization improved in first-quarter 2023 for Trinity Industries’ Railcar Leasing and Management Services Group, margins in the Rail Products Group “continue to reflect headwinds,” according to President and CEO Jean Savage, who said during a May 2 financial report that company officials are “optimistic about what Trinity can accomplish in 2023.” TD Cowen weighs in on…

The North American Rail Shippers Association (NARS) will host its annual meeting May 24-26, 2023, in Chicago. This year’s theme is “A New Era in Railroading.”

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has recognized Norfolk Southern (NS), Trinity Industries and GATX for safety and environmental stewardship as part of its 2023 Responsible Care® Awards program. Also, Nisus Corporation has received ACC’s Responsible Care® certification. NS was one of 15 ACC members to be selected for an Energy Efficiency award for “commendable achievements in improving energy efficiency and/or…

Trinity Industries, Inc. announced March 9 that it has acquired RSI Logistics, a data-centric provider of proprietary software logistics services and terminal management solutions to the North American rail industry, for $70 million.

At Trinity Industries, the Railcar Leasing and Management Services Group continues to see “lease rate improvement and strong utilization,” and the Rail Products Group “again faced labor and supply chain challenges, impacting deliveries and margins,” President and CEO Jean Savage reported during a fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 earnings announcement on Feb. 21.

Tightness across a wide array of freight cars has continued, and with supply chain challenges limiting the industry’s ability to produce to demand, the lease rate momentum looks sustainable, according to expert panelists at Cowen and Company’s Jan. 19 webinar on the current state and outlook of the rail, locomotive, and railcar leasing and manufacturing markets.